The first and the foremost thing to do in a Group Discussion is to write down the GD topic on the sheet of paper you are provided with. This ensures that you don’t misinterpret the GD, further a glance at the topic at the later stages can help you from getting carried away into meaningless discussions. If a paper is not provided, please ask for it, it shows your interest and seriousness.

The next step is to write down the questions which pop up in your mind after reading the topic twice ( minimum )

Here are the questions that pop up in mine!

How is the current relationship between India and Russia ?

How is the relationship between India and Ukraine ?

Which one is more important with respect to India’s point of view ?

What kind of sanctions can India impose on Russia ?

Will Russian be Affected by such sanctions ?

Is Russian Economy more an Import Oriented or Export Oriented Economy ?

What percent of GDP does India accounts for in Russian Economy ?

What Percent of GDP does Russia accounts for in Indian Economy ?

What Sectors will get affected ?

Alternatives, if any ?

What is the current situation ? Is the topic really as simple as it looks ?

What does people of Crimea want and does that matter ?

Well i took more than 5 minutes to come up with these, dont worry if it takes times now, this mock will really help you with the actual one.

Here are some Opinions on the above Topic

“We need to first analyse whether is it possible for india to impose sanctions on Russia. Russia is a big-time ally and trade partner of India. If India tries to take a stiff stance against Russia it would hurt her economically and it is no hidden fact that india is not a position for that as it is already in a poor shape economically. If we factor in the past episodes of India’s reaction in the international arena, India has always sought a middle road by going against none and appeasing everyone.”
By normanlewis19

“A sanction would affect India more than it would Russia seen economically. Further Russian Economy is not heavily dependent on Imports, and Import accounts for just 3-4 % of the GDP.” By xlf3n

“Only when picture becomes clear , we should act. Till India can take a neutral stand. But unfortunately if the situation go bad, India shouldnt back away from taking its stand against injustice. It has happened in past, but surely should not happen again. Every country is trying to do what best suits there interest, US wants to Stop Russia’s entry in Ukraine economy as European nation stands affected by it, Russia wants Crimea for increasing its presence in Black trade ,and can block major trade route also and we are thinking about our economy impact (which of course is important) but not as much as innocent people suffering in that region. No one is thinking of the people suffering in amidst these clashes. India can take stand for the people being affected in the region. UN peace mission failed in Crimea, they were sent back when warning shots were fired on unarmed UN members. India has a opportunity for being a leader and fair Nation in World Politics.” By dpbox

“First of all,It is advisable to understand the circumstances under which Russia annexed Crimea before we come to conclusions on what is right or wrong.We all know that USA is a prominent country and would like to exercise control and dominance by showing its military strength.The only country that can match it is Russia. USA has been trying to pull Ukraine into NATO for quite a few years now and once that happens,USA will be able to deploy its forces(customary for all NATO countries ) in the Black Sea with its nuclear subs and other modern warfare machinery right under the nose of Russia and just some 1500km from Moscow. It will also cut free access of the Mediterranean Sea to the Russian navy . All these factors were taken into account,which were actually the main reasons for Russia to take Crimea. So now,the forceful annexure of Crimea becomes debatable whether its right or wrong and considering Russia’s strategic importance to India,it is best that India remains neutral to the sanctions imposed on Russia.” By budokoi

Many Companies and Institutes have Group Discussion as one of their preliminary round to screen candidates. It is also observed that people who are good at Group Discussions perform better than those who are not, at higher levels in most Organisation. So it is essential for everyone to know the basics of Group Discussion so that he/she can deliver when required and prove that he is not just intuitive but cognitive when it comes to discussions. Lets jot down the basic questions that comes to mind when we talk about Group Discussion.

What is Group Discussion ?

Why is it needed ?

What do they test in a Group Discussion ?

How is it Different from a Debate ?

What is Group Discussion ?

A Group Discussion is free exchange of ideas on a given Topic. The topic could be general of specific, in rare cases the topic could be abstract too. It generally has more than 2 participants and the number can go till 15 in some cases. All the opinions are welcomed, whether the group reaches a conclusion or not. Candidates are generally made to sit around a table facing each other or facing the Observer panel. Group Discussion can be anywhere between 8 to 15 minutes depending on the rules specified by the Observer.
A Topic is given and about 10% of total time is allocated to think before the Group Discussion starts.

Why is it needed ?

There are numerous reasons why Group Discussions forms a basic part of the recruitment/screening process. While it is impossible to list them all, here are some important and obvious reasons.

It helps you understand the subject deeply.

It improves your ability to think logically.

It helps in reaching consensus on difficult topics.

It helps in improving listening skills.

Increases your confidence in public speaking.

It helps in getting views of others and thus giving you a wider perspective, which leads to much better decision/understanding.

It shows your willingness to listen to others and interest in leading a group.

It ensures that you will speak up for yourself in future, the list goes on….

What do they test in a Group Discussion?

How good are your communication skills.

How do you behave in a group.

How open-minded you are.

Are you a good listener.

How well can you put forth your ideas.

Your Leadership and Decision Making skills.

Your attitude and confidence.

Can you think logically under time constrain.

Group Discussion is not just limited to points mentioned above, it also checks on how aggressive and critical you are.

How is it different from a debate ?

From my personal experience I have seen that most people don’t understand the difference between the two. They use the terms Group Discussion and Debate interchangeably. Well let me make this clear for you, Group Discussion and Debate are entirely different in nature and the rules governing the two are diagonally polar to each other. Here are some quick differences between the two.

Debate is for argument and to attack to win while group discussion is to exchange ideas and opinions for a better understanding of a topic.

In a debate, speakers take turns to present their points while, in a group discussion, all participants can discuss a topic presenting their opinions without turns.

The views of all participants matter in a group discussion while, in a debate, a speaker has to defend or attack to win.

Debate is an argument while group discussion is communication of ideas

Group discussion is constructive and cooperative while debate can be destructive too.

Wherever Dexter looks, he finds hordes of successful people; They are on TV, they are in the newspapers, on Magazine covers, on banners and in advertisements. They are successful and everyone talks about them. No one talks about those who arent successful or famous. We look at these stars and we get inspired.

This subconsciously makes us overconfident and thus we weigh our chances of success way higher than they really are. We argue saying, when so many successful people can do it then it must be easy and even we can do it. In country like India where the population is now over 1.2 billion and steadily increasing, chances of success, be it sports, writing, startups, getting into good Grad school are very very tough. The odds are minuscule, slightly above Zero.

We spend more time staring at successful people than looking at the graveyard of unsuccessful ones, we try to identify and associate ourselves with stars and we get mesmerised with the similarities between us, thus rating are chances of success way higher than they really are.

If you ever get time, visit the graveyard of those unsuccessful people who outnumber the successful ones in the ratio greater than 1000:1 and try to identify or associate yourself with them. You would be surprised to see the similarities and I bet there will be many.

The moto here is to learn from the unsuccessful people, as in what they did wrong and never repeat those mistakes. Further weigh your chances logically, not blindly.

Hey! My name is Rahul and I am an aspirant like You!.
After getting rejects from some MBA colleges across India, I decided to improve on my WAT/GD and PI skills by blogging.
I hope I stick to this routine and blog regularly, as I believe that this would help me and also 1000 others like me.